What happens if Draco never ran off into the Forbidden Forrest during their first year? What would Harry and Draco discover with each other and these ... feelings?

P.S. If you don't like Harry and Draco dating/discovering their feelings for one another in their first year than don't read the story. Other than that, enjoy the story!

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"Tha' unicorn blood, tha' is," Hagrid said as he, Hermione, Neville, Harry, and Draco made their way through the Forbidden Forest to get to their destination. "We need to find the poor creature 'fore it's too late. We can split up, 'Ermione, Neville, you're with me. 'Arry, you're with Malfoy."

Malfoy's face paled before regaining his posture. "Fine, then. But I get Fang."

"Alrigh." Hagrid motioned for his dog to go with them. "Just to let you know, he's a bloody coward." And then they split paths after Hagrid handed Harry a lantern, as they walked the path, following along the drips of silvery substance.

Harry grinned at Draco, knowing the little snake seems scared because his silver eyes keep scanning around them into the forest. Scared little bastard.

"If I wouldn't know better, Draco. I'd say you were scared," Harry taunted while holding down a chuckle.

"I'm not scared, Potter!" Draco scowled, holding his lantern up. He heard a noise and swiftly turned around, eyeing his surroundings. "What was that?" He heard another noise, dropped his lantern hearing a crash of glass and wrapped his arms around Harry. It was weird, he could feel some kind of electric sensation as he touched the Gryffindor and guessed it was probably something to do with Hormones.

Harry turned his head around to look at Draco and just noticed how close he was. He too could feel this kind of electric feeling as the Slytherin's arms were wrapped around his torso. He had to admit, Draco does have pretty silver eyes. Almost the colour of the Unicorn blood... He didn't know why he thought that about Draco's eyes. Guys couldn't like guys, right? He shook that thought out of his head and looked down at the broken lantern.

Draco just realized he was hugging Potter and flushed. He stared into green eyes. Well, they were emerald green eyes and he couldn't help but know that they're a lovely green colour. His favourite green colour to be exact. "Sorry," he mumbled, but still didn't let go.

"It's okay, Draco," Harry said awkwardly. He didn't know what he was doing when he leaned in until he felt soft warm lips press against his own. Their lips were just pressed together, and Harry knew that he was the one who did it. But he wished he didn't as his face felt like it was on fire. Draco inhaled a sharp breath at the meeting of his lips to another boy and felt his face warm up with a blush. Harry immediately leaned out of the press of lips and bit his lip, not knowing why he even leaned in in the first place. "Sorry..."

Draco pulled out of the hug and took a few steps back, but something moved somewhere beside him, and he backed away from it. He gulped and saw something shadowy looking. "P-Potter! T- There's s-something..."

Harry moved towards Draco and froze. The sight was disturbing. Draco took another step back and snapped a twig in half.

When the creature looked up at them, Harry grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him behind a tree. He knew it still wouldn't be a safe space, but it gave them some time. "Know any spells?" he whispered, taking out his wand.

"A few... b-but we're not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts," Draco said with a few stutters.

"In dire situations like these, I think it's best to," Harry whispered while peeking around his surroundings for anything out-of-the-ordinary. "Besides, I don't think we're outside of Hogwarts, just in the forest."

They heard a loud growling noise and shuddered. "D-Draco, I think it w-would be best to tell me these s-spells now," Harry said, stuttering.

"Everte S-Statum is one," said Draco. "T-try i-it."

"Alright, wish me luck," Harry replied and edged away from the tree with his wand out in front of him.

"Good luck, Harry Potter," Draco said with a small smile.

Harry returned the smile, especially when being called by his first name. He gave his attention back to the massive shadow figure he saw floating around some trees and pointed his wand at it. "EVERTE STATUM!" he shouted, watching as an orange beam of light flew out of his wand and hit the creature. He quickly moved back to the tree with Draco and panted.

"Did you hit it?" Draco asked; he sounded quite scared.

"I think so," said Harry while panting a little.

"Should we run back to Hagrid or cast a Periculum?" asked Draco who reached for his wand in his robe pocket.

Harry already pointed his wand at a gap in between some trees above him and fired the spell. Deep red flares shot out of his wand up into the sky and exploded into fireworks.

"Wow..."

There was a loud growling sound from beside Harry. Draco gulped in fear and took a few steps back. Harry froze and swiftly turned around to face the shadowy figure. He backed away and accidentally stepped on Draco's foot which earned the Slytherin a slight hiss of pain. Harry whipped out his wand and stood in front of Draco. Even though he was frightened, his main goal would be to return anybody around him back safely into Hogwarts. That includes Draco, even if he's an insufferable git.

"EVERTE STATUM!" Harry shouted. The orange beam of light hit the creature and sent it rocketing backwards several meters.

"I think it's time we should run," Draco whispered with fear, already stepping a few more feet back.

"Yes, we shall," Harry replied as he turned around to face Draco. "But, which way?" He noticed that Draco's silver eyes had a kind of watery look to them and he frowned. He felt sorry for the Slytherin, having to see the nightmare of a monster during the night where he could be safe, and sound tucked away in bed. He gave Draco's arms a squeeze as he stared into silver eyes, and those silver eyes stared back at him. "Hey. It's going to be alright," he said softly in a reassuring way. "We can get through this together, and if it takes a whole night just to get out of the forest, I'm glad it's with you."

"Malfoy's don't cry," Draco mumbled while ignoring Harry's heroic speech. Well, he definitely heard everything the Gryffindor said, and it really calmed him down. He looks down at the dark rocky ground while wiping his eyes with his sleeves.

"Everyone cries, Draco," Harry said softly. Why would someone even believe that crying is weak when it's not? "It doesn't mean you're weak or pathetic, it shows that you care and are strong."

"But Malfoy's don't cry. We can't show fear," Draco muttered while looking up into emerald green eyes.

Harry shook his head with his eyes closed. "Who tells you this, Draco?"

"My f-father."

Harry sighed sadly and ran his hands down Draco's arms to his hands. "Your father is wrong, Draco. Let your emotions out whenever you can and want. You're allowed to cry and be afraid, it's what humans are meant to feel."

Draco sniffed and nodded. "I'm sorry..."

Harry squeezed Draco's hands lightly. "No, Draco. Don't apologise. Never apologise."

"Let's just go, Harry. I don't like this place. Too dark, damp and..." Draco trailed off, as the giant shadowy figure was back on its feet and floated towards them. He gulped loudly in fear and started walking backwards, pulling Harry with him.

Harry knew something was off and turned around hesitantly, coming face to face with the shadowy figure. It was horrifying. Harry couldn't describe it. It just looked like something from a nightmare. So disturbing. The only thing that kept him calm was Draco's hand gently intertwined with his.

Draco stumbled for his wand in his pocket. As he grabbed a hold of it, he aimed it over Harry's shoulder and muttered, "Riktumsempra!" As he saw the shadowy figure shoot away from Harry and himself, he squeezed Harry's hand tightly and pulled him into a run.

They ran into the darkened forest, not looking back but kept at the direction they were heading, North. They ran, and ran, and ran, even if they both had stitches and were out of breath. They listened to all the noises around them. The howling of werewolves, the howling wind through the trees and their own footsteps was all they could hear. Finally, after what felt like hours of running, they both saw a moving light up ahead. They glanced at each other with excited smiles and ran off towards the moving light.

"'Arry?" Hagrid said with a sigh of relief.

"Harry! We were loo-" Hermione hesitated and stared at the boy's intertwined hands. How did she not see this coming?

"Harry?" Neville asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you holding Malfoy's hand?"

Harry felt his blood rush to his cheeks, and he smiled. "I don't know..." He turned his head to look at Draco. "I guess I was scared."

Draco smiled back with the slightest tinge of red to his cheeks, "I guess we both were."

"Well, we must be 'eading off now," Hagrid said while staring at the two boys curiously, but complete with a smile. "Don't want to keep yer out too late."

The four children nodded and followed Hagrid back out of the Forbidden Forest. Neville was utterly confused with his roommate and Malfoy. He hadn't a clue what happened between them but shrugged it off.

Hermione was still curious about what happened between her best friend and the Slytherin, but she decided to leave it be as she was happy, they sorted things out together. But it was still a little weird that they were holding hands, they weren't exactly in kindergarten anymore. Well, she knew Draco probably never went to kindergarten knowing he was a Pureblood, but what about Harry? She was sure he went to Kindergarten.

Harry smiled at Draco and Draco smiled back. Their hands still intertwined together, and their bodies close to one another to keep warm and feel protected.

And then Draco kissed Harry's cheek, causing Harry to feel a sudden heating sensation in his cheeks and he smiled. The blonde Slytherin's kiss still lingering on his cheeks and it was so calming, so natural.

Neville, who caught the Slytherin just in time, gasped out loud. It was loud enough for Hermione to hear and she looked back, surprised at the sudden realization. What happened in the forest when she and Neville were out with Hagrid?

Harry couldn't help but smile continuously and he squeezed Draco's hand, earning him a light squeeze back from the Slytherin.

Once they made it back outside of the forest and towards Hagrid's hut, Hagrid bid them goodnight and the children, accompanied by Filch, headed back up to the castle.

They were now in the corridors of the castle, and Hermione stared curiously with an eyebrow raised at Harry and Draco, who seemed to be sneaking away from Filch, herself and Neville. Whatever, she thought. She'll just let them be. It would be their fault if they get caught in the night, not hers.

Obviously, it was both of Harry and Draco's plan to sneak away and they successfully did it together.

Harry didn't know where Draco was taking him, but he recognized the Dungeon walls and flooring. Was Draco taking him to the Slytherin house dorms? Gosh... If he were right, he wondered what the place would be like. Cold, dark, and dreary? Or warm, cosy and... green... Yes, the Slytherin common room was green and black, but the colour was mainly black. He didn't even remember Draco saying a password. Or was he just too caught up on staring at the blonde snake?

He found the skulls on the table a little creepy, but they matched the eerie feeling down in the common room. But it was a little too dark. Harry couldn't really see anything. The only thing that guided him was Draco's warm hand intertwined with his own pulling him somewhere.

The next thing he knew, he was in a dormitory. A very green dormitory. Nothing was black and what a relief. The 5 4-poster beds, which had small lumps under the covers - obviously sleeping bodies lay underneath them - was dark, brown wood with Slytherin green drapes and Dunas while the sheets and pillows were white. Gosh, there were windows looking out into the ... the Black lake!

Harry watched Draco get into bed but left a large enough space for a second person to enter. Was Draco going to let him sleep in his own bed? He was!

Draco patted the space next to him, whispering, "Well? What are you waiting for? I don't want you catching a cold. Get in!"

Without hesitation, Harry hopped in bed with the blonde Slytherin. The bedding was just as warm as his own bed was back up in Gryffindor Tower. And was the Duna velvet? It was! It's so soft, velvety and warm. He adored it.

Draco reached his hand up, letting the cold air hit it as he pushed back Harry's fringe. He looked at the lightning bolt scar that lay on Harry's forehead. He traced it with his fingers, feeling the scar under his fingertips. it was odd but...amusing.

Harry closed his eyes with a smile. Having Draco touch his scar sent tingles around it and down his spine. It was very comforting, almost like a massage. He could fall asleep.

"Harry," whispered Draco. His heart fluttered in his chest when green eyes opened up and looked at him, directly into his own eyes. "You're really ... pretty."

Harry blushed, hoping Draco couldn't see how red his face felt because it did feel red and burnt. Just without the throbbing sunburn. "T-Thanks," he stuttered. "You're really pretty too, Draco."

Now it was Draco's turn to blush. His finger trailed from Harry's scar, down to Harry's warm, soft cheek and caressed it. "Harry... can you-... Can I kiss you?"

Harry, blushing and stunned at the question, nodded. He's seen a couple of kissing scenes before, but they were mainly boy and girl. He slowly sat up and stared down at the blonde Slytherin, who he could just see in the darkness. When the blonde Slytherin also sat up, he raised his hand to Draco's cheek and just placed it there.

Harry didn't understand why his heart was thumping hard against his chest as he leaned forward, or even the butterfly feeling in his stomach which was only producing more butterflies which fluttered around his stomach. But these feelings were...good. He liked these weird feelings. They felt so natural and utterly wonderful!

Draco's lips were only centimetres apart from his own, as he could sense from the vanilla-scented breath of Draco. What kind of toothpaste do wizards create these days? Whatever it is, it was so captivating. His heart decided to skip a beat as Draco's soft, warm lips met his own and he felt fireworks explode inside him. He realized that this was his first kiss. The one in the forest wasn't a kiss. It was just a meeting of lips. Just a meeting of lips, right? It couldn't have been a kiss. Or was it?

It was just a soft touch of lips until Draco began to move his lips a little, gliding them backwards but then opening his mouth a little only to connect them back onto Harry's. Harry was feeling some strange sensation in his legs, they felt so weak. What was happening? His hand stayed on Draco's cheek and he felt like he was melting when he could literally taste the Slytherin's saliva. Was this a good thing because he hoped so.

He came to a realization that he was slowly losing his breath when continuing to kiss Draco. But the thing is, he didn't want to stop. He was enjoying this a lot. This was a new type of kiss. Of course, he's seen it in movies and tv shows but only actors and actresses did it. It was that kiss where the actors swivelled their heads to the side. Kissing Draco like that was purely amazing. He felt like he was floating on clouds. He couldn't stop the intense flutter within and his beating heart, but he didn't mind. He really liked these feelings.

And then the kiss ended, both boys out of breath and staring at each other. Harry wished there wasn't a thing called breathing. He could kiss Draco all night long.

"Wow," whispered Draco, his eyes never leaving Harry's green ones. "That was incredible!"

"Yeah." Harry couldn't have agreed more. "Truly amazing!"

Draco smiled and he placed his hand over Harry's which still rested on his cheek. "Let's get some sleep, Harry. We'll be needing it."

Harry nodded, and as the blonde Slytherin crawled unto the sheets, he did the same. He pulled the blankets up over his shoulders just in case it gets chilly. "Goodnight, Draco."

"Night, Harry." He pressed his lips to Harry's forehead, exactly on his scar.

Harry gasped silently as he felt something other than pain surge through his scar. It was... what was it? He's never felt it before in his lifetime... It was... love? Was that what it was? It was so calming and peaceful that he instantly began to fall asleep.

Draco smiled and snuggled up to Harry. This time, he pressed his lips back onto Harry's lips, even if the Gryffindor was sleeping. Still smiling, and loving the heat emitting from the Gryffindor, he began to fall asleep as the breathing of Harry began to slow down.

*****

Harry woke up, yawning. The first thing he spots when opening his eyes are four presences around him, each pointing some stick thing at him. When his eyes began to focus, he realized it was wands that were poking him. He gulped in fear. Perhaps this was his last morning on Earth. "M-Morning..."

"Good morning, Potter."

Harry looked up at the person who gave him a good morning. It was ... Theodore Nott?

"What are you doing here, Potter?" This time it was Gregory Goyle who asked a question.

"I-... Um..." stuttered Harry, not knowing what to say. What exactly should he say? That he's sleeping with his ex-rival?

"Just leave him be," said a sleepy Draco. And Harry smiled at him, feeling his fear drain out of him when being saved by Draco and noticing how tousled the blonde Slytherin's hair was. He chuckled and Draco smiled sheepishly as he sat up.

"Alright," said Vincent Crabbe. But he held out his hand for Harry. "Does this mean we'll be seeing you more often?"

Harry slowly nodded at them, but really, he was unsure about that part. Would the professors allow him to sit at the Slytherin table? Merlin, he really hoped so.

"Brilliant!" said a boy who looked Italian and beamed at Harry. Harry recognized him as a boy named Blaise Zabini.

"Can you all please leave me and Harry at peace?" Draco asked them, in a nearly pleading kind of way. "We can meet you all out in the common room so we can head down to breakfast."

Gregory sighed but smiled at the two. He grabbed Vincent by the pyjama sleeve and pulled him away from the blonde Slytherin and the green-eyed Gryffindor.

After a few seconds of staring at the Gryffindor and Slytherin, Theodore left them be and whispered to Blaise, "C'mon, mate. We should get ready."

That just left Harry and Draco still in bed. Eventually, Harry got himself out of bed but realized he hasn't got his clothes with him. Only his Gryffindor robe and pyjamas, not his day clothes. "Draco... I don't have my clothes with me."

"There's no need to worry about that, Harry," said Draco as he got out of bed and opened his trunk. He pulled out two sets of Slytherin school clothes and handed one to Harry. "I don't know if it will fit, but you can try."

"Thanks, Draco." Harry pondered if he'll get told off for wearing non-Gryffindor clothes. Maybe he won't be recognized? Hah... Pretty unlikely. Everyone just needs to see his scar and that's it for him. Once dressed, he made sure everything fitted, which it all pretty much did. A perfect fit.

Harry and Draco stood hand in hand in front of the closed door of the Great Hall. They both were nervous, about to come out to the entire school. Then Harry decided to open the doors with one light push. The brown large wooden doors opened up into the Great Hall, and they walked through to the Slytherin table. A few gasps were heard, and a few giggles. Harry and Draco didn't care what the others thought about them. It wasn't any of their business anyway.

They sat at the Slytherin table together, but Blaise sat on the other side of Harry and Draco next to Theodore.

Harry hoped Hermione and Ron didn't mind about the sudden change of seating arrangements. But he promises to catch up with them soon. He looked over at the Gryffindor table, and just his luck he locked eyes with Hermione. He gave her a smile and Hermione gave one back to him. Then he looked at Ron, who also gave him a smile but refused to look at Draco. That was okay. He gets that. But then Ron made his move and came over to the Slytherin table, his face paling every step closer he got.

"Hey, Ron!" said Harry, still smiling brightly.

"Hello, Harry..." Ron looked down at his best mates and Malfoy's hands that were intertwined together. He swallowed. "So, I see you've made a new friend."

Harry beamed at him. But do friends really kiss each other? That's something to consider. But then... what was he and Draco? Best friend's with benefits? Boyfriend's? "Um... I can say we're a little more than best friend's, Ron."

Draco looked at Ron, smirked, and kissed Harry's cheek.

Harry blushed but continued to look at his best mate, even if he wanted a proper kiss with Draco now.

Ron's eyes widened, not entirely thinking that could happen. "Oh..." He paused and took all of this new information in. He then smiled. "As long as you're happy, mate, that's all that matters to me."

Harry really felt like this would be the best year he's ever had in his life. Especially with how supportive his friends are being, and his new relationship he's made with Draco. That was the best part of his week.